Pops Staples the guitar player is something of an idol for me, holding that peak spot on the podium of the masters of tone. I co-founded a band virtually revolving around my attempt to emulate (poorly) his iconic tremolo-soaked electric guitar sound. It was foolish to attempt; imitation is always transparent and almost never uncanny. But presuppose an uncanny imitation. What would be the point? Flattery, as the impressionist would have you believe? Theft? Deception? Herein lies my major problem with Don’t Lose This, an album that I like overall but that leaves me a trail of moralistic pondering that distracts my attention.

The songs here, at least fifteen years old, are great, as one might expect. Of particular interest are the opening track, “Somebody is Watching” and “No News Is Good News.” The former is that rare outsider-penned track (the song was written by Brenda Burns) that it...

Before I begin, let me say that my intent, if it was not immediately clear, is to attempt to review new releases. This forces me to hear new music and, better yet, saves you, the reader, from my obsessive thoughts on albums you probably like already for your own reasons. That said, I’m also setting out to go mostly for the positive, and frankly, I have doubts that I will find something I’m interested in listening to, week-to-week. So, if you know me (and let’s be honest, at this point, anyone reading this does know me), while I’d prefer not to cater to an audience of me alone, the occasional metal review is bound to fill the void (note the clever pun, French readers). These too will be new releases and, you can be sure, ones that I am particularly excited by. Maybe give them a shot is all I’m saying.

Anyway…

The best metal seems, at least to me, to embody a conspiratorial edge. Perhaps...

I have written out my thoughts while listening to the album for the first time. The writing has been edited only for spelling:

Sauna begins in much the same way many of Phil Elvrum’s works have - with quiet ambiance: organ, environmental sounds, breath. I feel like something ominous is lurking, though. Passing dissonances creep up periodically. A distorted guitar passes through. And before you know it, the familiar tenor of Phil Elverum coalesces everything into a song form. Cymbals in stereo - left to right. Acoustic guitar harmonies similarly effected. Female-voiced counterpoint. Wait, am I hearing a Microphones record? The nostalgia is building. Then “Sauna” the song ends. “Turmoil” begins with adolescent eighth-note rhythms. “Dragon,” with it’s beautiful homophonic female leads, minimal acoustic accompaniment, and gradually building noise rambles through. The nostalgia is at what...

Typical Neil Young review: “Neil Young does whatever the hell he wants, so even though there’s little point in criticizing him, here goes.” Typical Storytone review: “I have immense respect for Neil Young’s singularity as an uncompromising artist of high ideals, but I wish he would have pared this down.” Translation: “I wish he had made Harvest again.” Storytone, which finally this week had a second pressing on vinyl, is a difficult record. It is idealistic. It is flawed. It’s motives are unclear. The old tropes of Neil being a stubborn and impulsive artist do not seem to explain it, at least not entirely. It is the reason I started this blog. Somewhere there needs to be a space to discuss how a piece of art can transcend its flaws precisely because of them. Think of the Beatles’ White Album. The greatness of some works is that they generate questions instead of answers. And so, we keep...

Admittedly, there is something in me that is ever-hopeful about a new release by a favorite artist. This has been present for as long as I have been interested in pop music. There is a problem here, which is, as I far as I understand it, that I confuse the excitement of my favorite creators having created something new to obsess over with a more general excitement about the work at hand. Thus, I could have easily given Black Sabbath’s 13 a five-star review in June of 2013, for example. Keep in mind that I have warned you of this problem when I say the following: Bob Dylan’s new album is his best in my lifetime (1986 - ). Rarely do even I jump the gun so drastically, but in less than a week I have listened to Shadows in the Night more times than I ever had any of his other post-Knocked Out Loaded efforts.

Bob’s a big reason. Obviously. But the bigger reason is his longtime touring band...